More than $2 Million in New Tax Revenue, or No New Revenue

One of the most important reasons to support the SSND/Hines development is the positive fiscal effect on the town. Currently, the SSND property generates no property taxes to the town since it is owned by a religious organization, which will continue so long as the property goes undeveloped. (See bottom of page for a discussion of what property taxes the SSND may pay prior to development of the property).

The exact amount of taxes the SSND/Hines development will generate is uncertain at this time, since the exact scope of what will be built or even planned to be built is not certain now. Any figures on how much the SSND/Hines property will generate is subject to some speculation. I believe the method used below to calculate a rough estimate of the taxes generated by the property is fair, but other knowledgeable people have told me they think the amount will be more like $1.2 to $1.5 million. Hines has released no projected tax revenue figures at this point, but will release extensive projections of revenue when the application is submitted to P&Z. But, whether the taxes are $2+ million as I believe, or $1.2 - $1.5 million, the taxes will be significantly more than the taxes on the current use of the property, the taxes on the property if developed for single family housing, and certainly more than the zero taxes that would be generated by a park.

With those caveats, here are some estimates:

If the property was used for single family houses, it would generate around $300,000 a year in new taxes assuming about 12 two acre lots could be carved out of the property, and based on the $25,000 in property taxes generated by a large residence in Wilton.

If the SSND/Hines development is built, annual taxes generated by the property could exceed $2,000,000. For instance, 131 Danbury Road (Riverside Wilton) is the new development recently completed on Rt 7. It is a 4.34-acre property with 173 multifamily units generating $1,197,077 in annual real estate taxes (approximately $6,920 per unit). Applying that per-unit benchmark to the Hines proposal of 280 units suggests potential annual tax revenue of approximately $1,937,600 ($6,920 x 280 units). This estimate is likely very conservative as it does not account for the Hines project’s more extensive amenities, healthcare services, higher end improvements, and that the SSND property, at 38 acres, is eight times larger than the Riverside development. This estimate also does not take into account the substantial personal property taxes generated for the Town, which are paid by business but which are not paid by residences. The SSND/Hines development is therefore likely to generate substantially more taxes per a unit than the Riverside development.

UPDATE APRIL 30, 2026

The Board of Selectmen prepared a list of the top 5 taxpayers in town in connection with their FY 2027 budget.  This list shows that even at a conservative figure of $1,500,000 in annual taxes, the SSND/Hines Development will be the 3rd largest taxpayer in town. The third entity on this list, FDSPIN, owns 141 Danbury Road, the new building near Rings End on Route 7.  This is a 173 unit development, while the SSND/Hines development is 280 units with many more amenities, such as food service.  We would expect, therefore, that the taxes generated by the SSND/Hines property would be substantially more than the taxes on 141 Danbury Road.  The town should not pass on a development that will become a top-3 taxpayer in town. 

To illustrate the significance of another $2,000,000 in annual taxes,

Wilton currently uses bonding to pay for road paving and other maintenance, which totals about $2,000,000 a year. Most towns pay these expenses out of operating funds, and are not going into debt to pay these expenses as Wilton does. The taxes generated by the SSND/Hines development alone can pay the full cost of these expenses, which would therefore free up $2,000,000 on bonding capacity a year to pay for the substantial capital projects Wilton will have to bond over the next several years. Here is a link to a GMW article discussing the list created by the Wilton Capital Planning Committee ranking the 14 most important projects to bond for the Town, many of which are less than $2 million, one of which could be bonded each year with the bonding freed up by no longer bonding road improvements. (See accompanying table below, click to open in new window.)

Of course, we cannot expect that the Town is going to necessarily use the $2+ million annual taxes generated by the SSND/Hines project for the purposes described above, but it does illustrate that this amount of new taxes will make a material improvement in the Town’s fiscal condition. More than $2 million a year in new taxes, or no new taxes if the property doesn’t change. Wilton taxpayers should consider whether keeping out the SSND/Hines development out would be the best for Wilton’s fiscal health.

Will the SSND Have to Pay Property Taxes Prior to Re-Development of the Property?

The SSND has historically not paid property taxes because of the charitable use of the property, I have been told (in February 2026) that the Town intends to seek $850,000 in property taxes from the SSND on the basis that the non-profit use of the property has been abandoned. I have also been told by the SSND’s representatives that they intend to fight this because the property continues to be used by the SSND’s charitable foundation, even if it is no longer used as a retirement community or infirmary. At such time as the SSND actually does pay property taxes prior to re-development of the property, I will amend this page.